Play-based research project: reflection 1

For the first phase of the research we would like to do the following:

• Teacher researchers (that is your team) write a reflection about the following:

What was your reasoning for starting Play-based teaching and learning in your classroom?

When I joined the Kōwhai team in May, 2017, I started working with Rhonda in the same classroom co-teaching. A play-based learning environment was already established then, and there was a lot of discussions about how we develop and support children’s play in the classroom. The reasons for having play-based teaching and learning was that there are so many learning opportunities for children. It is really important for me that children develop their own passions and be able to self-direct their own play which also leads to goal settings. Through play, children also develop learning dispositions such as curiosity, persistence, and risk-taking etc. I believe these dispositions become significant parts of academic learning.

Where did you get your knowledge about Play-based teaching and learning from?

From working at an early childhood centre for over 10 years. In the centre, we had free play philosophy, working with Te Whaariki curriculum, emergent curriculum and we supported children’s interests with dispositional learning. Learning stories were hugely important for us, whaanau and children.

What issues/challenges have you faced when implementing this at your school?

I guess the huge difference from the early childhood setting and the classroom setting is that there is only one teacher in a classroom whereas you would be working with a group of teachers in the ECE settings. When I am having a group of children doing reading, and other children are playing, I do take notice of their play and their interests but how I support their play or next step to challenge in their play has been quite difficult in a classroom setting.

Also, understanding of play for school teachers can be very different. For some teachers, playing maths/literacy games can be seen as play. For me, play is authentic, comes from children. I think there is a huge trust between the teachers and children when we let our children play and this can be a struggle for some teachers who like to control what the children can ‘play’ with.

Play through the school-What does play look like in the new entrant classes and Year 3 or 6 classes? I think we don’t really have a seamless transition in terms of our play philosophy and people see it as a new entrant thing?

What difference do you think Play-based teaching and learning has for children’s learning and transitions?

It makes a huge difference in transition between early childhood settings to our new entrant classes because the environment looks similar to where they came from and this is really important for me. The children who were in a centre setting know that they are able to choose what they want to play with, their voices are heard, and self-directed play is celebrated.

I also do think it makes a huge difference for the parents knowing that they are coming to a place that is similar to an early childhood setting.

Play-based teaching and learning provides opportunities for the teachers to really get to know our children and develop meaningful relationships with the children and their whaanau. Because the play is driven by the children, things that they are interested in, the stories they share from their interests are very important to us, and if we were the classroom with no play, I wonder if I would know about the children and their whaanau as much as I know about them now…